Hiding
by Omoni
Summary: When Nickname is old enough to go to school, a simple stage in her life makes huge ripples in her world and that of her parents. Part 12 in Abovetale, which means you're about six stories behind, so go ahead and read back. :) As always, the title and chapter titles are from the song "Hiding" by Florence The Machine. So good. Go listen to it! Written for Reith.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: I Think You Hide

Looking back, Nickname Dreemurr found it amazing that she had managed to finish her schooling at all, let alone as well as she did.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Frisk said sharply when she brought this up, the night of her graduation. "It wasn't _that_ bad, Nickname!"

"I seem to recall there being police on my first day!" was her reply, and Frisk sighed, unable to refute that. Granted, there had to be some police on this same day, but she knew that there were considerably less than there had been on that day.

Her almost-cousin Basket, eleven now, was laughing at this point. She had Undyne's laugh, but also the tendency to snort like Alphys. They'd spent six years together at school, and Bass had seen enough to know how beloved - and slightly coddled - Nicky was at school. She was, after all, surrounded by family, just like Bass was, herself.

"Oh, shut up, Bass," she grumbled, giving Basket a shove, which only resulted in a slight stumble instead of a fall like she'd hoped. It also brought more laughter from Bass, who now had to hunch over to stay upright.

Asriel was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, while Alphys tried to talk to him; he wasn't taking her graduation too well, filled with disbelief that not only was he old, but so was Nicky. Sometimes she didn't get it, either, still amazed that she'd made it to seventeen at all.

"It's okay," Alphys was saying to him gently, patting his back. "R-really. It's okay."

Asriel said nothing, but his shoulders shook a bit. Nicky was about to go to him, but Undyne stopped her. "No, kid," her aunt said sharply. "Trust me." Because Nicky did, she obeyed, but it still hurt to see her dad that way.

Frisk adjusted her hat again, and Nicky sighed. "Mami, stop."

"Can't do it," Frisk replied with a smile. She brushed non-existent dirt off of her robes. "I'm your mother. It's my job."

"Is Papi okay?" Nicky asked her.

Frisk paused, her eyes flicking over. "He'll be fine," she said slowly. "He's just... shocked."

"Bad shocked or glad shocked?"

"Bad," Basket snorted. Undyne gave her a glower, and she shut up with a blush, her face going red. Basket loved to test everyone - except Undyne. Of the two, Undyne refused to stand for Basket's sarcasm and dry humour, recognising it as her own and thus finding it ineffective. Alphys, however, was the opposite: she loved it when Basket was a smartass, and usually laughed or encouraged it without realising it.

"Both," Frisk answered honestly. "But don't fuss, Nicky. You know your papi."

Nicky did; that was why she was worried.

"Damn, graduation..." Undyne broke in, giving Nicky's shoulder a squeeze. "You're so _old!"_

Basket opened her mouth, then shut it, her eyes sparking and her lips trembling. Her restraint, so rarely seen, made Nicky smile.

Frisk noticed and sighed, giving Undyne a sour look. "Don't give them ammunition," she advised.

Undyne looked at her daughter, who was looking away in faux-innocence, still biting her lip to keep quiet. Her tail, however, wagged slightly, which only broke the illusion.

"Who raised this child?" Undyne sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Your wife," said Frisk with a grin. Undyne looked over at said wife, who had heard that and was now looking over with a blush, before looking back at Asriel.

"And _you!"_ Basket added with a scowl. Undyne grinned at her, then grabbed her into a tight hug, one that not only silence Bass, but made her blush even redder. "Mom, _stoppit!"_ she grumbled, her voice carrying a slight whine.

Nicky laughed, unable to help it. At the sound, Asriel looked over with a small smile, and she smiled back, feeling better at the sight. If she thought about it, she could remember a similar evening, one with similar results - but different, newer circumstances.


	2. Chapter 2

**One: When All The World's Asleep And Tired**

"Oh, for god's sake, kid-boy," Undyne sighed. "Stop crying. It's just _school!"_

"Undyne," Alphys hissed, her hand on Asriel's back. "Sh!"

Frisk was on the floor with Undyne, Nicky and Basket. Basket was on Undyne's lap, Nicky kneeling before her, and Frisk sat next to Undyne. Asriel and Alphys sat together on the couch, Asriel's face covered and his shoulders shaking. In his hand was a letter that reminded them of Nicky's age, and how it was time to enroll her in school. He held it in his fist, crumpling it, as if by doing that would make it less true.

Nicky was making faces at Bass when she heard the word 'school'. She paused and looked at Frisk. "Mami?" she said, blinking.

Frisk nodded. "Yes. You're going to school."

Nicky lit up. "When?"

Frisk sighed. "In a few weeks."

Nicky clapped happily, and as a result, so did Basket with a shriek. Undyne was trying very, very hard not to laugh - and failing - which in turn brought a smile to Frisk, though it was a touch sad.

Alphys understood Asriel; though school was a natural step, she understood how hard it was for him. For years, he'd spent his days with Nicky at his centre, and now he had no idea what to do with himself. He had options; he could go back to work, either with Frisk or at the school, or stay home and start up his Let's Play channel again, but it wouldn't be the same. Alphys understood, because it was how she felt when she thought about Basket.

She was right. When they got the letter, Asriel had wanted to burn it (and almost had; there were burns around the edges.), but Frisk grabbed it before he could. That was when he'd started crying, though Frisk called the school immediately to confirm with them Nicky's placement in the fall. Alphys, Undyne, and Basket were already over for a playdate (thanks to a PD Day) when the letter arrived.

Nicky noticed her father's state and got to her feet, going to his side and tugging on his sleeve. He looked up and saw her looking at him with concern, and wordlessly, he pulled her into his lap and hugged her tight, trying to swallow his tears - and pain.

"Papi, is school bad?" she asked him softly.

"No," he admitted. "It just means you're growing up."

"Papi! I'm not growing up!" she protested. "I'm gonna stay six forever!"

"Right," he agreed shakily with a small smile. "I forgot." Nicky smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before she slid down off his lap and resumed making faces at Basket.

"She's going straight into grade one?" Undyne asked.

Frisk nodded. "She's too old for the two kindergartens, but smart enough for grade one - especially since she can read."

"Auntie Alphys taught me," added Nicky, pulling another face.

Undyne waited until Basket finished shrieking before saying, "I hope we can do that, too."

"Bass is a bright girl," Frisk said easily, giving Basket a pat on the head - something she made a face at.

"I-I think it's a good idea, going to Toriel's school," said Alphys, mostly to Asriel. "That way, she's surrounded by friends and family."

"And safe," Undyne added darkly, though both Asriel and Frisk nodded in agreement.

Alphys put a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Right. I forgot. How will your opponents react?"

"We..." Frisk exchanged glances with Asriel. "We never planned on telling them. Ever."

"They'll find out, Frisk," sighed Undyne, pulling Basket's hand out of her hair absently. "You know they will. You need a plan."

"A plan for _what?"_ Asriel snapped, not liking her tone.

"For her first day, at the least," Undyne shot back. "She needs protection. She's the first human-monster at that school, or at any school, ever." She rolled her eyes. "Duh."

Both Frisk and Asriel blushed, clearly not having thought of that prior to her mentioning it. What Undyne said, however, made sense; there was likely going to be a media zoo at the least, and they had to be prepared.

"I'll call Darian, see if he knows anyone we can borrow," Asriel said, getting to his feet and pulling out his phone, leaving the room to make the call. Frisk watched him with sad eyes, but said nothing.

Alphys looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry. I tried, but..."

"Is Papi okay?" Nicky wondered, her eyes also on Asriel as he vanished into the bedroom. "He looks sad."

"He'll be fine," said Frisk at once. "You know your Papi."

At that moment, she got a text from Toriel: "Ui jsuist gheard thjer bnews! Sdo wexciuted!1!" It took Frisk a moment to understand it, as clearly, in her excitement, Toriel had button-mashed her message. She couldn't help but laugh, anyway. She was glad Toriel was happy about the news.

"Oh, she's gonna fuss," said Undyne when she read the message.

"But likely in a good way," added Alphys, now joining them on the floor. "She's protective, but it's not a bad thing."

"I know," Frisk agreed. "I just hope Nicky doesn't mind."

"I love Ehmma," Nicky said with a smile. "I can't wait to see her at school!"

"Not just your ehmma," Alphys said kindly. "But your ehmpa and your aunt Undyne, Uncle sans, and Uncle Papyrus!"

Nicky's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" She turned to Frisk, who nodded, and she clapped again with a grin.

"Thanks, Darian," Asriel was saying, before he hung up the phone. "He's gonna call around, see if he can get some of his old buddies to come and watch the school."

Frisk sighed in relief, her hand going to her chest - just below her heart. She hadn't realised how much she'd wanted that until she'd gotten it. "Thanks, love," she said to him.

He sat down beside her and nodded. He looked calmer, though there was still sadness in his eyes. "I'm worried, too," he admitted.

"Why?" Undyne wondered, as Basket attacked her ears with delight. "It's not like you've been getting..." When their faces fell, Undyne bit her lip, then muttered, "Oh."

"Y-you've been getting threats?!" Alphys cried. Nicky turned to her, surprised by her tone, but she didn't change it. "For how long?"

Asriel covered his eyes with one hand, sighing. Frisk looked down. "Since she turned five," she admitted.

"Thanks for telling us," Undyne said dryly.

"Hey," Asriel snapped, lowering his hand to glare at her. "You don't need to know _everything,_ Undyne."

She glared back at him, but Alphys said, "Not everything, but some things. Especially if you want us to help, right?"

"We _don't!"_

Frisk shot Asriel a look, and he scowled but shut up. "Sorry," she said, meaning it. "We just... didn't know how to handle it. Honestly."

"Who the hell threatens a _five-year-old?!"_ Asriel exploded, his hands hot. "Who the hell is that _depraved?!"_

Nicky stared at him. He rarely swore now, so hearing him do so - and in such an angry tone - shocked her. She could tell he was very angry. She went over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her, his face softening.

"Papi!" she said sternly. "Language!"

The sincerity in her voice made him laugh, which brought laughs from Frisk and Alphys, and a smile from Undyne.

"Sorry," he said softly, meaning it. "I was just angry."

Nicky grinned. "S'okay, Papi!" she said, giving his shoulder a pat. "Just be nice, okay?"

Frisk sighed, looking at their daughter amiably. "Smart, wise words," she said sadly.

* * *

That night, Asriel suddenly woke up alone. He didn't know what it was that had awakened him, but whatever it was, he still woke up alone. He was wide awake at once, getting to his feet and leaving the bedroom, looking for Frisk as he did. He expected her up, either in front of the TV silently or in her office hunched over her computer and stacks of paper. When he found her in none of these places, he went to the last likely place she'd be.

Carefully keeping his eyes lowered, he went out to the balcony and found her sipping tea - chamomile - and sitting in one of the chairs, her eyes unfocussed before her and full of tears. She would pause to either sip her tea or wipe the tears from her eyes, but she did little else, and all was done in silence.

"Frisk," he said softly, and she started, her eyes wide in surprise, before she focussed on him. She looked away, clearing her throat, but he rolled his eyes and knelt down in front of her, taking one of her hands in his. "What is it?"

She stared at him, her eyes filling again, unable to help it, now. "Will she really be okay?" she whispered, putting down her mug of tea. "Will she really be safe?"

Asriel nodded, rubbing her hand gently. "Yes," he agreed. "As much as possible."

Frisk looked away at that. "And how safe is that?" she wondered darkly. "She's still a mix of both. It's so easy to forget that, to forget I'm human, and so is she. She's going to see hardship."

Asriel nodded. "I know."

"Don't we owe her better?" she wondered, still not looking at him. "Don't we, as parents, owe her better than what we got?"

"I didn't finish school," he reminded her gently. "So, yes. I'd say we're doing just that."

She looked back at him, blushing in shame. "I'm sorry. I-I forgot."

He smiled. "It's okay," he said, meaning it. "It's easy to forget. Sometimes even I do, it's been so long." Frisk nodded, picking up her mug and sipping her tea again. Her eyes were on his, now, so he went on. "I know school was rough for you," he admitted, and she nodded again. "But I also know that Nicky is smart, and determined. If anyone can face it, she can."

"Can she?" wondered Frisk. "Or are we just hoping she does?"

Asriel thought about it seriously. "Maybe both," he admitted. "But maybe that's the trick to it. We have to have confidence, so she does, too."

"I'm not confident," she admitted finally. "I'm scared."

"I know," he said again, gently, giving her hand a squeeze. "But I'm here, and so is everyone else. We're not alone, remember?"

Frisk smiled faintly at that. It was true, after all. They were surrounded by people who loved and supported them, often without question or hesitation. It was a comforting feeling, and it helped her calm down a bit more.

"And Nicky won't be alone," he added, smiling back, unable to help it. "She's got the same family."

"Whether she likes it or not," Frisk agreed, her smile widening into a grin at the thought.

"Exactly."

Frisk took a deep breath, shut her eyes, then exhaled it. When she opened them again, they were clear, though still a little teary. "Asriel," she whispered. _"Can_ we protect her?"

"Not always, no," he said sadly. "But we can do everything we can to do so."

"Is it enough?"

"It has to be."

Frisk paused, looking away. Then she said, "Asriel? Take me to bed?" When she looked back at him, her eyes were full again, and she bit her lip.

Asriel took her hands, got to his feet, and pulled her to hers. Arm-in-arm, they slowly walked back to bed, two parents wary of letting their young beacon of hope go.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two: You Cry A Little; So Do I**

The weeks leading up to the first day seemed to fly by, but were not spent idle. Darian came through and managed to call enough of his buddies to serve as plainsclothes officers for an escort into the school. Both Frisk and Asriel would walk with Nicky up to the doors, and all three of them would wear bulletproof vests - as would any of the escorts.

"Ugh," Nicky grumbled when she tried hers on. "I don't like this. I want to wear the cloud dress, Mami."

"You will," Frisk agreed, adjusting it and making sure it fit properly. "But you have to wear this over it until you get into the school, okay?" That earned her a nose-wrinkle, but no other protest, so she took it as a yes.

There was also the small issue of almost everyone wanting to be a part of the escort. Everyone - save one person - volunteered when either Frisk or Asriel mentioned it, despite both of them clearly stating that that was impossible. However, they did decide to accept help from Asgore, Undyne - and sans. sans really didn't give Frisk a choice, but looking back, she knew she likely still would have asked him, anyway.

* * *

"Uh," Frisk said, blinking, having just found sans in their hallway closet, looking as casual about it as anyone could get. "Hi...?"

"sup," he agreed, walking into the hallway with a grin.

Asriel sighed; they had just put Nicky to bed, and the last thing they needed was her waking up again. "You have the worst timing, bastard."

"nope," he replied, grinning at him easily. "i've shown up while she's sleeping, so i think i'm right on time." He turned to Frisk, and she saw a rare seriousness in his eyes. "can we talk?"

"Yeah, of course," Frisk agreed slowly, still confused. She gestured to the living room, but sans shook his head. "i mean, just you and me," he explained.

"You do know she keeps nothing from me, right, bastard?" Asriel snorted.

"then you won't mind waiting for her to when i'm done, weed," sans replied, and Asriel scowled. He looked back to Frisk, who was rolling her eyes. "well?" he pressed.

"Balcony," she answered, waving him over, and he followed her lead. Once there, she turned to him and growled, "Explain."

"you need to let me help you with nickname," he explained quickly.

"I _need_ to?" she echoed.

"yeah," he nodded, as if he didn't see the problem. "i need to be there."

"What makes you think that?"

sans hesitated, and she sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs, her eyes on the view.

"trust me," he said finally.

"I do, sans," she said honestly. "That's why I'm asking. Because often, trust means bupkiss to you."

His face fell. "oh, come on, frisk. when have i ever done anything like th-,"

She glowered at him, and he looked away uneasily, scratching at his bony cheek.

"Yeah," she agreed. "And now you're expecting me to trust you around my _daughter?"_

"kinda," he said. "yeah."

Frisk stared at him, her face a mix of wariness and shock. "Really."

sans nodded. "i'm not sure, i'm never sure, but, frisk... i'd rather be wrong and be there and not be there if it happens."

"And what exactly is 'it'?"

Again he hesitated, and again she glowered at him. "i know," he nodded again. "it sounds bad. but again, i'd rather be wrong and look a fool."

"But are you making a fool of _me?"_ she asked plainly. He looked at her carefully, seeing both a worried mother and a strong protector, one who would protect her kid to dust.

"no," he said honestly. "that's the last thing i want, too."

Frisk searched sans's gaze carefully this time. He did look worried - harried, almost. She realised she did trust him, even with Nicky, though she was loath to admit it, especially to him.

"Okay," she said finally. "But if you make me regret it, you're as close to dead as I can get you."

sans swallowed; he knew she meant it. "got it. thank you." He paused, then sat down, got comfortable. "got any good jokes?"

When she came back in an hour later with a small smile but alone, Asriel met her at the door. She looked up at him and nodded, then told him everything. When she was done. he was frowning. "Can we trust him, though?" he wondered.

"I think so, yes," she agreed. "He does have a good point: better wrong and prepared than right and defenceless."

Indeed.

* * *

Of all of them, however, Alphys was the only one who backed out of it. She wanted to, but at the same time, she also knew she needed to be home for Basket - and that came first. Frisk understood completely, but Alphys still felt bad and wanted to explain her reasons in person.

"I-I'm not saying Basket's more important than you, or Nicky," she said, looking down at said Basket, who was on her lap and staring at Frisk. "I don't mean it like that."

"I know," agreed Frisk, placing a hand over Alphys's.

"B-but..." Alphys looked up at Frisk, her eyes silently appealing for an understanding that they didn't know they already had. "She-she needs me here. A-and Undyne..." She trailed off, looking away again.

"I _know,"_ Frisk said again. "It's okay."

"I'm not a coward," Alphys blurted out, her eyes blazing. Now Frisk understood. "I'm n-not hiding or running away."

"Alphys." Frisk squeezed her hand. _"I know._ Who said you were?"

Alphys blushed. "M-me," she muttered. "I-I wonder if I'm just using Basket as an excuse to hide."

"Then you give yourself no credit," said Frisk, her voice firm. "You should know better."

Basket, who up to this point was staring at Frisk in a half-doze, chose this time to look up at her mother and stare at her, instead. Alphys stared back with a smile, on that was returned with a laugh before Basket hid her face in her mum's chest again.

"See?" Frisk said with a smile. "Even Bass understands."

Alphys's face became soft, like it usually did when Basket (or Undyne) was involved. "But do _you,_ Frisk?" she asked quietly.

"Yep," Frisk nodded. "I did the moment you mentioned it. I'm a mother too, remember?"

Alphys blushed. "Er," she mumbled. "Yeah. Longer than I've been, and you're also... much younger..."

"So then, all the more reason to believe me," Frisk teased. When Alphys grinned, both felt better.

* * *

The night before Nicky's first day had Frisk waking up to Asriel's tears. That hadn't happened in a long, long time. He had his back to her, clearly trying to hide it, but failing, and she curled up against his back, resting her forehead between his shoulderblades. He reached back and grabbed one of her hands, holding it over his heart as he sobbed. She said nothing, just kept her eyes closed and her hand flat against his chest, her other hand rubbing his back slowly.

When he was somewhat calm, Frisk whispered, "Talk to me?"

Asriel nodded and turned back to her, keeping her hand over his heart. Frisk could feel it racing, and his eyes were wide and full in the dim light. "I'm scared, Frisk," he admitted at last, his voice thick.

"Me too," she agreed, her own eyes burning now. "But we've done all we can."

"Yeah," he said softly, but he still cried, unable to help it, now. She pulled him close and let her own tears fall with his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Three: But You Don't Have To Tell Me Why**

When Undyne showed up to New Solace wearing her full armour - save her helmet - only Nicky was surprised - and thrilled. She clapped the moment she saw Undyne, and Undyne scooped her right up and held her with a laugh.

"Auntie Undyne, you look weird!" Nicky said, poking the shoulders of her armour.

Undyne grinned wider. "Can't take any chances, today," she explained.

Nicky patted the front of her chest. "Me too!" She was already wearing her vest over her dress, though she had initially protested. Now, seeing Undyne in armour of her own, she felt better.

Asriel, Frisk and Asgore were still getting ready; Toriel had gone to the school early to prepare and make sure everything was in order. Asgore was on the phone with Darian, and Frisk was helping Asriel with his vest - only to switch places when it came to hers.

"Where's sans?" Undyne wondered. "If he's slacking off today, I swear..."

"He's not. He said he would 'be around'." Frisk sighed. "We have to trust him."

"We do?" Asriel asked darkly. He still wasn't sure he trusted sans, even after all of this time.

"Yes," Frisk snapped. She was tense, and it clearly showed. A few days before, the news finally got out about Nicky going to school, and now the entire city knew, too. She had hoped to keep it secret for a bit longer, but it hadn't worked, and now she was worried.

"Golly," Asgore was saying. "That many, Darian? I don't think we need that many." He paused, nodding, forgetting that Darian couldn't see him. "Of course. Yes. Please do. Thank you, Darian." He hung up with a smile. "Apparently, so many officers wanted to help that Darian got into a bit of trouble with his former boss."

Undyne laughed, but Frisk looked worried. "How much trouble?"

"He says they're threatening to take him back," Asgore laughed, which helped Frisk relax - just a little bit.

"Don't tell Mom," Asriel smirked. "She won't handle it well if she loses one of her most popular teachers."

Frisk tried to smile, but it didn't work too well. A feeling of nervousness coupled with dread filled her, and she asked, rather shakily. "Are we ready to go?"

Nicky slid down out of Undyne's arms and went over to Frisk's side, taking one of her hands, before she reached out and grabbed one of Asriel's. Standing between them, she nodded with a smile. Frisk stared at her, unable to help but envy how carefree Nicky seemed. "Ready, Mami!" Nicky agreed with a serious nod.

Asgore stood up taller, though he still smiled and Undyne held a thumb-up with a grin. Asriel looked over at her and smiled faintly, and she nodded in return.

"Okay, then. Let's go,' said Frisk finally - before she changed her mind.

* * *

They walked to school, finding the way busier than usual. It was very disconcerting, seeing neighbours and strangers alike watching them go by as if on parade. Asgore stood in the lead, Undyne at the rear, and Nicky remained between her parents. She chatted as they walked, noticing her audience but not reacting with anything less or more than curiously to it.

"Weird," said Nicky, glancing at them with a mix of shyness and confusion. "Why are they staring at us?"

"Because you're pretty new to them," Asriel admitted softly.

"I'm not _new!"_ she protested. "I'm _six!_ Basket is new!"

Undyne smirked at that. "You're still pretty new, kid."

Nicky tried to look back at her as she walked, stumbling a bit as a result. "But not as new as Basket!" she insisted.

"Okay." Undyne held her hands up in surrender. "You've got me there, okay?"

"Basket's green," Nicky concluded with a satisfied smile, before looking forward again. "What's my first class? How many teachers do I get?"

"Uh," Asriel paused, distracted for a moment. He thought he'd recognised someone, but decided it was either a neighbour, or one of Darian's cop friends filling out the crowd. "You only have one class to go to, Nicky."

Nicky frowned up at him. "But, Papi, in books and movies..."

"You don't get that kind of set-up until you're older," he explained, his eyes narrowing for a moment, but not at her. He was so sure he could place that person he saw, but again the name escaped him.

"Aw," Nicky complained.

Frisk was watching both the crowd and Asriel as they walked. She didn't like his expression, seeing both confusion and frustration there. She tried to follow his gaze, but whatever he saw either wasn't easily seen or already gone. She still didn't like it.

Undyne was quiet, now, too, her eye sharp and darting about. She met Frisk's gaze and nodded slightly; whatever it was, she could sense it, too. Very slowly, she raised her hand to pretend to scratch her cheek, carefully signalling to Frisk to look ahead. She did, trusting Undyne. Otherwise, why would she have asked her to come along?

"Ehmpa!" Nicky called, and Asgore looked back at her briefly with a smile. "Is Ehmma my teacher?"

"Yes. But you have to call her either 'Ma'am' or 'Headmistress', okay? You can't call her Ehmma."

She made a face at that, clearly having just confirmed something her parents had already told her and not liking it all the same.

For a moment, there was a lull in which they walked in silence. Nicky was distracted by everything around her, and so were her parents and family - just in a different way.

Very deliberately, Undyne held a hand up to her side and summoned a spear into it, holding it out very carefully as she walked. She waited, and could sense that whoever was following them had seen it and decided to fall back. She kept the spear out anyway, not willing to test it.

"Clear," she muttered to Frisk, who nodded, giving Nicky's hand a squeeze. "Keep going," she added, a glint in her eye. Frisk did so, but she was now bemused. She didn't hear, a ways back, the sound of rushing wind, feel the tug of magic, nor smell the slightly earthy scent of thrown bones - but Undyne did. And, judging by the way their ears would occasionally twitch backwards, so did Asriel and Asgore. But neither turned around or stopped, and when they looked to her, she grinned in reassurance.

This happened at least two more times, and each time it was handled the same way. By the time Undyne signalled a fourth, she was grinning so wide it was almost contagious.

"Kinda fun," she admitted softly, blushing a bit, and Frisk sighed at her, though she did manage to finally smile - just a little.

A fifth time, however, proved perhaps one too many. Undyne tensed, then turned back, before she shouted, _"Asgore!"_ and began to run back. The moment she did, Asriel and Frisk closed in on Nicky to protect her with their actual bodies, while Asgore summoned his trident and held it forward, his eyes glinting.

Undyne skidded to a stop and held up her spear, finding it intercepted almost as soon as she did by another monster's magic. She swung down, neatly bisecting it, but she couldn't spot the source of it, though she knew she needed to - and soon. They were already so close to the school it was frustrating.

When one volley of magic veered too close to the Dreemurrs for Undyne's liking, she followed its direction and went in the opposite, hoping to catch whoever it was off-guard.

Nicky was silent, thought she held her parents' hands tight and she was shaking. Frisk and Asriel stayed close to her, making sure that Nicky was completely covered, and Nicky was now too scared to even protest, let alone move away.

 _"Left!"_ a low, familiar-yet-not voice called out, and without question they moved left, Undyne jerking back and calling up three more spears to cover her. Immediately another loose volley of magic fell towards them in heavy, misshapen orbs, and both Undyne and Asgore moved to defend the other three, carefully destroying the magic as best they could without leaving any residuals that could hurt anyone else.

Then, silence. Undyne and Asgore stood waiting, both sharing the same look of concentration - but no other attacked seemed to be coming.

 _"Go - go, now!"_ that same voice snapped, and Undyne signalled for them to do so - and quickly. Frisk pulled Nicky into her arms without hesitation and ran, Asriel right beside her. All Frisk could see now was the front door to the school, getting closer and closer and yet it seemed almost impossible to reach.

As they ran, Darian's friends started forward, a mix of human and monster, flanking the family quickly and bringing out their methods of defence, either physical or magical. Asgore got to the door first and was opening it even as Asriel, Frisk and Nicky caught up to him. Undyne covered them from the rear, still, but it seemed as if the attacks were either stopped for now - or being saved for later. Once everyone was safely inside, Undyne kicked the doors closed and locked them, almost angrily, as if the door were to blame. Frisk leaned against the closest wall, holding Nicky tightly to her and shutting her eyes. Nicky curled up close to her, her own eyes wide and her face tinged with fear. Asriel went to them and hugged them close, his eyes closing, too.

"I don't like that," Nicky admitted in a whisper, tearfully clinging to Frisk.

"I don't like it when he's right, either," Asriel agreed with a grumble, giving Nicky - then Frisk - a kiss. "I'm glad he's here, but mad he's right."

Toriel rushed up to them, giving them each tight hugs, checking them all over for injuries - even Undyne - as she did. "Everyone alright?"

"I didn't like that, Ehmma - uh - Headma'am," Nicky stammered, raising her head to look at Toriel. She was crying, but seeing Toriel appeared to revive her a bit.

"I don't blame you, kid," Undyne agreed, scowling at the door.

"Are the other students here safe, Tori?" Asgore asked, and she nodded. They had planned for Nicky to come late, after everyone else, to avoid as many people as possible. They hadn't anticipated anything like this - well, except maybe sans.

"Frisk?" She looked up at Toriel, her eyes wide, still holding Nicky to her. Gently, Toriel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Frisk, are you working here today?"

She hadn't planned to. She and Asriel had talked about it the night before, about how they didn't want to overwhelm Nicky on her first day with both of her parents there all the time. Asriel decided to be the one who stayed with Nicky, and Frisk had agreed, planning to do some errands Underground until lunch, where they would all meet back at the school and enjoy it together.

But when asked, Frisk immediately said, "Yes," before pausing. "Wait, no." She looked at Asriel. "Wait, what?"

Asriel smiled. "Yes," he agreed. When she started to protest - she knew how much this meant to him - he shook his head. "Yes, Frisk. It's okay." And it was. He was a little hurt that he'd miss some of Nicky's first interactions, but seeing Frisk so shocked upset him more, and if staying with Nicky was all it took to help her, then he was fine with it.

Still holding Nicky, Frisk hugged onto him tight, so tight that Nicky protested, trying to squirm away. "I'll be back at lunch, okay?" Asriel concluded.

"Please," she agreed.

"I'm gonna do a sweep," Undyne reported, before she left to do so.

Asgore was rubbing his eyes, trying to focus them, a part of him still running. "I'm getting too old for this, I think," he muttered.

"Once Undyne gets back, we'll begin our day," Toriel said calmly, though her eyes were narrowed. "Does that sound good, Nicky?"

She nodded, sliding down from Frisk finally and trying to now get out of the vest she wore. "Can I take this off, now? I don't like it."

Frisk knelt to her and did so, and Nicky practically leapt out of it, shedding it to grab Toriel's hand.

"Better?' Toriel asked her with a smile. When she nodded and returned the smile with a grin, her tears were now dry.

Undyne returned a moment later, looking suspicious but otherwise fine. When she got to them, she raised a thumbs-up and smiled. "All clear as far as I can see," she reported.

Toriel looked to her husband, children, and their child with a kind smile. "Time to start the day, then!" she said easily. "Ready, Nicky, dear?"

Nicky nodded, dancing a little on the spot in her now-returned excitement.

Frisk hugged Asriel, thanking him over and over, and he nodded, holding her close. The last thing he wanted was to overwhelm Nicky on her first day, after all. When Toriel again asked if they were ready, Frisk let go, and Asriel kissed her. "I'll see you back at lunch," he promised, and she nodded again. "Keep that on," she said back, pointing to his chest, before she went to Nicky's other side to walk with her to class.

When it was just the two of them (Asgore had also gone to start his daily chores), Undyne asked Asriel, "Are you okay?"

He shrugged one shoulder, for a moment unable to speak. Then he nodded, and she patted him on the back. "If you can, go meet up with Alphy before lunch," she suggested. "Have some company, so that you won't be lonely or whatever. It'll make her happy, too."

In the end, he did just that. But only after he made attempt to contact one person for some answers before he even left the school: Sans.


	5. Chapter 5

**Four: Tell Me I Will Be Released**

The moment he was out the door, Asriel paused and said quietly, barely above a whisper, "Walk and talk with me, bastard." From somewhere behind the crowed, sans emerged, looking tired but otherwise fine. With a bit of a glare, he stood beside Asriel, and together, they walked past Darian's friends and back onto the sidewalk.

The crowds had mostly dispersed by now, having either been scared off by the magic attacks or the boredom that came soon after. A few neighbours recognised Asriel, but when they saw his company decided not to bother him. By now, sans was a pretty well-known and easily recognised monster, after all.

"Well," Asriel said shortly, not looking at sans. "How many?"

sans sighed. "when did i start to take orders from plants?" he muttered, earning him a dark scowl. "including that last one? seven."

"I only heard five."

"then get the leaves out of your ears, weed," sans replied. "i grabbed seven."

"Okay, okay," Asriel said. He then hesitated, went scarlet, and coughed, before muttering. "Thank you. I'm sorry." sans stopped in mid-stride, shocked, and Asriel scowled and turned back to him. "Could you _not?!"_ he snapped.

"can't help it," sans admitted. "i've never heard you apologise before, least of all to me."

"And I'm never doing it again!" he answered. "Walk!" When sans did, Asriel went on. "Anyway! I'm just a little..." He sighed, shrugging one shoulder.

"tense, maybe?" sans offered.

Asriel's eye twitched. "Yeah," he agreed. "To say the least."

"well, does it help you any that...?" sans started, then trailed off, his eyes going to the side, before he sighed. He stopped again, forcing Asriel to do the same, and with a long-suffering look, he muttered, "that's eight, by the way." He then walked - rather quickly - towards the closest tree, only to vanish behind it. Shortly, Asriel could hear sounds of another fight, from a distance away. He stared, his mouth going dry; sometimes, it was easy to forget who sans really was.

Asriel waited, unsure of how else to react, until sans came back, taking his time walking back as he did, looking even more tired, now. When he was back at Asriel's side, he looked up at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Yes," said Asriel, without any preamble. "I hate to say it, but yes, it does help that you're here, bastard." He rolled his eyes. "It does help. But if you tell anyone I said that..."

sans smirked, which just got him angrier. "good," he replied. "i'll see you at lunch, then. i'm going to grillby's." With another wave, he again vanished behind the same tree.

"He's going to tell everyone," Asriel muttered, before resuming his walk. _"Bastard."_

* * *

Nicky decided, quite early, that she liked school. She didn't like the way they'd gotten there, but once there, she liked it almost immediately.

The first few hours were spent getting to meet new people - something Nicky loved doing. Toriel and Frisk did their best not to fuss over her, and it showed; many of the other children either didn't remember or care who Nicky was - at least not for long. There was something diplomatic about Nicky, something innately so, and she always found ways to make friends - even if they were antagonists at first. It was a marvel to watch.

Frisk watched with a warm heart, unable to hide a smile when she saw Nicky laugh with another student. Seeing it, she knew she could leave for the day with confidence, let Asriel come back, but something within her hesitated. She didn't know why, but she also knew how to trust her instincts - so she hesitated, and stayed in the classroom.

Toriel treated Nicky like every other student, and Nicky only called her 'ehmma' twice, which was impressive, considering. Nicky seemed really taken with Toriel's teaching, and always paid close attention whenever Toriel taught something.

Nicky was fine. So why did Frisk hesitate?

* * *

Asriel did stay with Alphys - who hugged him - and Basket - who grabbed his ears and screamed. He sat with them and watched over Basket when Alphys needed a break, but he kept his attention on his phone, as if worried that if he didn't watch it, he'd miss something important. By the time it was lunch, he was convinced he actually had missed something, and he even texted both Toriel and Frisk to double-check.

"Relax," Alphys advised gently. "Everything is fine!"

So why did he feel the opposite? He wished he could ask, and get a real answer. He wondered if there even was an answer that wasn't just a father's paranoia.

Instead, though, Asriel nodded, and helped her pack their lunch.

* * *

Undyne was already hovering at the door - now wearing regular clothes - when the lunch bell rang, her grin wide. Nicky saw her and gave her a hug, something she returned with a happy laugh. "Good job! You made it to lunch!" she said, and Nicky made a face.

From behind her came a sudden, sharp call of, "UNDYNE! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH..." Papyrus stopped when he saw Nicky, who shrieked and ran to hug him. Seeing his expression, however, Undyne grabbed her and pulled her back into the classroom, then abruptly shoved her back in and closed the door. Nicky stumbled but tried to follow - only to have the door remain closed. "Hey! No fair!" she shouted.

By this time, both Frisk and Toriel had moved to her side, Toriel locking the door and Frisk grabbing onto Nicky and holding her close. "Uh, Nicky," Frisk said, trying not to sound tense and failing. "Nicky, did you show Ehmma your lunch?"

Nicky blinked, then nodded. "It's a bento today," she told Toriel. "Wanna see it?"

Toriel had her ear to the door, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "I'd love to, my dear, when we have a chance to," she said softly, without looking at her.

Nicky wasn't a fool; even six-year-olds have instincts, sharp ones, and even they know when trouble is afoot, no matter how hard one tries to shelter them from it. She didn't move to get her lunch, but instead turned to Frisk and demanded, "Mami, what's going on?"

That's when they heard it: a distance-shattering, low thud of a noise, one more felt than heard. It reverberated through the school, and Frisk pulled Nicky closer, even as Toriel moved to her side and called on her fire to shield herself, her daughter, and her granddaughter. Toriel's firewalls tended to be small and a touch weak, but she put all she had into this one, and it blazed bright.

"Mami?" Nicky murmured against Frisk's chest, now hungry and scared.

"Don't worry," Frisk said immediately, offering her a shaky smile. "Just stay close to us, okay?"

Nicky obeyed, but her eyes stayed open.

* * *

Toriel wasn't the only one who summoned up protection. Many of her students did as well, bunching close to those who could not to provide pockets of safety. At the back of the school, Asgore was doing the same, offering both students and staff use of it.

Outside the pockets stood Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans. Sans had thrown up a tall, closed-in wall of long bones, and Undyne lined the outside of it with bright blue spears. Papyrus stood waiting, holding one of his long blue bones, a look of concentration on his face.

The source of this was due to three monsters, all three of them no one recognised, arms linked and together summoning up wave after wave of sheet magic, aiming them both around and at the school.

"Are they _crazy?!"_ Undyne shouted, enraged at seeing anyone there, let alone monsters. "They'll kill someone!"

"That's the idea," answered Sans grimly, his left hand shaking. "They just don't care who."

"THEY'RE _NOT_ MONSTERS," said Papyrus, his tone cold. "THEY'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE. NO _REAL_ MONSTER WOULD DO SOMETHING SO COLD."

"Is there _anything_ we can do?!" Undyne demanded. "I can't do this all day!"

"They don't expect you to," Sans answered darkly.

* * *

Both Asriel and Alphys felt it before they saw or heard it. It stopped them in their tracks, Alphys going pale and Asriel's eyes widening in shock. Alphys paused, then swallowed and turned to Asriel, carefully pulling Basket's sling off. "Asriel," she said, her eyes wide with panic. She held her daughter out to him, shaking, and he took her. As soon as she knew Basket was safe with him, she turned and started running towards the school, a staff of pure light already in her hands.

Asriel was tempted to run after her, fire blazing, but his new cargo stopped him - especially when she noticed Alphys was gone and began to cry. Asriel instead hung back, one word away from bringing up a ward of his own, his eyes on the school and his heart racing in fear, holding Basket close.

* * *

"They know we can't move," Undyne growled, her eye dark. "In fact, they're making sure we can't move. We need to get to them!"

"ANY IDEAS ARE WELCOME, UNDYNE," Papyrus said dryly.

"I could lower the wall just long enough for one of you to slip through," Sans offered.

"BUT WE RISK A HIT TO THE SCHOOL," Papyrus protested. He was right.

"And we can't risk that!" Undyne agreed, baring her teeth.

"We have to," Sans said, sounding furious by the very idea.

Undyne paused, then yelped out, "No, we don't!"

There was a shout, one rarely heard, before the three monsters were suddenly attacked by a flash of orange-yellow light. It crashed into them and knocked all three down, their onslaught on the school stopping at once. Alphys stood over them, holding a staff before her, the ground slowly filling with small, yellow pinpoints in a circle around them. To their credit, the spellcasters froze and held up their hands in surrender, but Alphys was still furious; she slammed her heel down, and the pinpoints grew into a long, thinly-barred wall - just strong enough for three tired monsters.

 _"Go!"_ Sans snapped, and Undyne lunged forward, already shifting her magic to where Alphys stood. Soon, a chain of spears rose up and circled her staffs, closing any gaps left by Alphys. Not even slowing, Undyne crashed into Alphys, and Alphys stumbled a bit but pulled her close. Sans ran over and raised his left hand, and his wall moved to replace Alphys and Undyne's. Now, they were truly trapped.

Sans glanced at the three, angry at them not only for attacking, but for existing at all. He didn't recognise them, but on the surface, that was becoming more the norm. They did, however, look oddly young.

"You _punks!"_ Undyne snarled at them, spear in hand. _"What the hell is wrong with you?!"_

They glared at her, but none offered an explanation. She wasn't expecting one, anyway. Instead, she walked over to a few of Darian's cop buddies to take them into custody - something they gladly did.

Asgore was already gone, running back into the school to check for damage or injuries. Alphys hugged Undyne again, then circled back to Asriel and Basket, who stood huddled behind one of the larger trees out of sight. She hugged them both, then said, "Come on. We have plans, remember?" When she smiled at her daughter. Basket calmed almost immediately, and Asriel handed her back.

"What the hell was _that?!"_ he exploded. "Is everyone okay?!"

Alphys nodded. "Come on," she advised. "Let's go and find out."


	6. Chapter 6

**Five: Not Sure I Can Deal With This**

"Are we all accounted for?" Asgore asked mildly, though he looked anything but jovial. They sat together at the back of the school, now calmed and full of students running around or huddled in groups, either eating, playing, or talking about what had just happened. Close to the doors sat their group, finally able to relax - mostly. sans stood a bit away like a sentry, occasionally sipping from a bottle of relish, his eyes alert.

Nicky sat in Asriel's lap, huddled close and eating from her bento. Asriel held her close, his appetite rather minute, though he did try. Nicky was famished and barely hesitated in eating, which oddly comforted him. Frisk sat beside them, smiling every time Nicky clapped at a food she was about to eat.

Undyne was holding Basket as she ate, and Alphys rested her head on her shoulder, her eyes closed, as she did the same. Papyrus sat on Undyne's other side, a plate of spaghetti before him, as he tried to get Basket to eat some - and failing; she kept glaring and hiding her face each time. Toriel and Asgore sat close together, sharing snail pie, but far slower than usual, as if having to remind themselves that they were even hungry.

"We're good," Undyne agreed, meaning it. There had only been some damage to the school, and luckily no injuries. It was an incredibly lucky result, despite how hard those monsters had tried otherwise.

"Good. Then can someone please tell me why monsters attacked the school?" Asgore added, his voice harder, now.

"I WISH I KNEW," Papyrus admitted sadly. "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT."

"Traitors," Undyne snarled. "Absolute fricking _traitors."_

Nicky eyed Undyne closely. _"Monsters_ attacked the school?" she repeated.

Frisk sighed, then added. "Yes," she agreed softly. "And apparently they had planned to for quite a while."

"Are they talking?" Alphys wondered, her eyes open now and on Frisk.

"No," Frisk muttered. "Not yet, though I know Darian's friends are trying."

Toriel lowered her mug of tea, looking very serious. "I truly hope this is the last time we see something like this," she admitted.

"And all over a small kid," Asriel grumbled darkly, hugging Nicky closer.

Alphys looked down. "I-if you want..." she murmured, sounding doubtful. "I-I could... tutor her from h-home."

"Alphy!" Undyne protested. "We're _not_ running away!"

Alphys blushed. "I-I know. I just w-wanted to... suggest it. Just in case."

"Thank you," Frisk said sincerely, "but we can't give up just yet."

Asgore nodded to her with a smile, but Toriel looked troubled. "Perhaps a back-up plan would be best, though," she said gently. "Alphys may have a point."

"It's not running away," Alphys added, her voice stronger. "It's knowing your strengths and using them to win." Undyne looked at her, biting her lip and looking sorry, and Alphys put a hand on her knee with a gentle smile.

"I don't _want_ to, Auntie!" Nicky broke in, her face serious, despite the rice stuck around her mouth. "I like it here! Mami, Papi, I want to stay!"

Frisk and Asriel exchanged a glance, then turned to their daughter. "And we do, too," Asriel agreed. "We're just talking about other plans in case this one doesn't work."

"BUT WHY MONSTERS?" Papyrus asked suddenly. He looked truly disturbed by this. "WHY WERE MONSTERS THE ONES TO ATTACK? BEFORE, IT WAS ALWAYS HUMANS."

From his sentry place, sans said, "or has it? maybe we're only seeing them now. maybe they've gotten desperate."

"Desperate, how?" asked Frisk.

"only monsters can use magic, frisk," was all he said to that.

"Can I use magic?" Nicky asked. "I'm a monster!"

"That's what we'll find out as you get older," Toriel replied, grabbing a napkin and wiping the rice from her face, causing Nicky to scrunch it up and protest.

Basket had crawled from Undyne's lap to Alphys's, giving her a meaningful look and sound, her hands pulling at the front of Alphys's shirt. With a blush, she sat up and said, "Uh... is it...?" Before she could finish, everyone was nodding - even sans - and she was scarlet. To hide it, she turned a bit to feed Basket, and Undyne was laughing so hard she was crying.

Asgore looked sombre when he spoke next. "They were quite young, were they not? Did you notice?"

"yep," sans agreed. "i'd say they were babies - at most - when the barrier broke, if they weren't born on the surface."

"So why attack the school they probably went to?" Alphys frowned. "It doesn't make any sense."

Frisk was quiet, eating her food without tasting it. She was thinking about it, really thinking hard about it. Could children be angry with their fate on the surface? Could they actually want the barrier back, their families back Underground? Or was it just coincidence?

No one had recognised those children, not even Toriel, which was even stranger. The majority of the monster population Aboveground stuck together, thus strangers were almost unheard of. Where had these kids come from, and why? And were there more like them, lying in wait, looking for any chance to continue their attacks?

Carlson had been the human champion for the anti-monster sentiment. Was there a monster champion for anti-human sentiment as well? If so, why? And for how long?

What was it they were truly after?

Nicky's mouth was full when she said, "Maybe they just don't like the school. Or maybe they don't like humans?"

Everyone - save Basket - stared at her in surprise. She blushed and hid her face into Asriel's chest, taking an onigiri with her before she did.

Toriel was blinking. "What if they're children of monsters who didn't want the barrier down? What if, as Nicky says, they hate the school for what it represents?"

"And therefore Nicky, being both human and monster, representing that united ideology as a living person?" Alphys added with a nod.

Undyne's hand was over her mouth, her eye wide. "Nicky, then, is just an excuse, and not the main reason!"

sans looked over his shoulder, his smile twitching. "not good, no matter how you spin it."

"So what do we do, then?" Asriel demanded, holding Nicky closer (and getting rice on his shirt as a result). "Go with her every day, like today, and make sure she makes it out alive?"

Asgore sighed. "That's not very logical," he admitted.

"Is it logical to attack a school?" Undyne snapped. "To hurt kids? To want to kill a kid? To be racist, bigoted, prejudiced, and-,"

Alphys placed a hand on hers, and she calmed down, just a little.

"ONE THING IS CERTAIN," Papyrus said, his voice very sombre. "WE CAN'T GIVE UP."

"Oh, no question on that," Toriel agreed, her eyes flashing and her chin rising in defiance. _"No one_ will scare me away from _my_ school, or its children." She looked at Nicky. "But, my dear Nicky, how do _you_ feel?"

Nicky turned back to her, her face serious, actually thinking about it. "I love school," she admitted. "But I don't want to get anyone hurt."

Frisk gave her a kiss on her nose, which made her wrinkle it and giggle. "I agree," said Frisk. "Nicky, would you prefer to stay here, or learn at home?"

"Stay here!" Nicky said at once, clapping, with a bright smile.

Asriel bit his lip, his eyes meeting Frisk's. He was clearly conflicted, wanting to protect Nicky, but also wanting what was best for her. He knew school was the best thing, but if these attacks only got worse, would it be worth that?"

"My boy," Toriel said to him suddenly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I do wish you'd reconsider coming back to work with your father."

He stared at his mother in shock. Her face was friendly, but her eyes were serious - entreating, really. Asgore looked over and nodded, looking the same way. "I... can come back?" Asriel wondered.

Nicky looked up at him with a grin. "Papi! You can work here?!"

He nodded. "I used to help with the gardening," he admitted slowly.

"POORLY," Papyrus sighed. "MY HEDGE-SELVES WERE NEVER AS GOOD AS I'D HOPED."

"To be fair," Undyne smirked at him, "at least he remained realistic with them. Unlike Asgore."

Asgore smiled and shrugged. "It's not my face. I don't mind altering them to suit the owner of that face."

"But, Asriel," Toriel broke in again. "You're more than welcome to come back-,'

"Yes," he answered quickly, holding Nicky closer. Frisk grinned up at him, her relief also obvious. "Yes, I'd love to, Mom, Dad. If it's okay."

Asgore grinned, his delight obvious. "I could use your help!" he admitted cheerfully. "You have quite a hand with flowers!"

sans snorted, but said nothing. Asriel glared at his back, but also said nothing.

"And with you here," Alphys added, holding Basket close to burp her. "It's safer for Nicky, for when Frisk can't be here."

"I'd feel better with you here, too," Frisk admitted gently, her voice closer to a whisper.

"but that just gets back to the problem," sans spoke up. "who is doing this, why, and how do we stop them?"

A small silence fell at this, broken only by Basket's abrupt burp.

Nicky slid from Asriel's lap once she finished eating, her eyes on the field before her. Suddenly, her face lit up and she waved, then turned back and shyly asked, "C-can I go play?"

Everyone stared at her, before Frisk grinned and ruffled her hair. "Get gone," she teased, and with an excited scream, Nicky ran off, joining her new friends in a game of tag. Her family watched her in silence for a moment, varying thoughts of hope and love flitting through worried, busy minds.

Then Frisk said, regretfully, "After lunch, I have to go Underground. Will... will you be okay?" She was asking Asriel, who reached forward and cupped a hand to her cheek gently.

"I plan to be," he said softly. "But I'll call you the second anything changes."

Forgetting everyone else, Frisk grabbed him into a hug and shut her eyes tight. She was trying not to cry, and Asriel could tell.

"She'll be okay, Frisk," Undyne said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's not alone, okay?"

Frisk looked up at her family and smiled sadly. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Oh, my dear child." Toriel moved closer and hugged both of her children close, and Asgore, unable to help it, did the same. Soon, even Undyne and Papyrus hugged them. Only Alphys, her arms full of Basket, hung back, as did sans, who looked like he wanted to join in but was holding himself back, for reasons known only to him.

Frisk couldn't help it, now: she cried softly, hoping Nicky wouldn't see or hear, holding onto Asriel tight. it was the worst feeling, knowingly leaving when you could very well be needed, fearing that the moment you were gone is the moment you were needed the most. Frisk didn't want to be gone when she was needed, but she also knew that staying would only delay her - and possibly Nicky. She wanted the best for her daughter, and she knew she was as safe as possible here at the school. But Frisk was still terrified.

Her terror was justified, judging by the morning. She just hoped she was wrong for the rest of the day. It was all she wanted, really. Yet even she knew: you don't always get what's owed to you, even if you've earned it more than you can even count.


	7. Chapter 7

**Interlude: Up All Night Again This Week**

There was a knock at the door, before it opened to reveal Toriel and Asgore, grinning and holding up their cameras. "Howdy!" Asgore called.

Nicky ran to them immediately, her grin huge. "Ehmma! Ehmpa!" she cried, throwing herself at them and hugging them together. Both laughed and hugged back.

"Hello, my dear!" Toriel greeted happily. She pulled Nicky away and looked at her, her eyes misty. "Oh, look how lovely you are!"

Asgore coughed, unable to help it, nodding in agreement. "It's hard to forget you've grown up when you look like that," he admitted.

Nicky made a face, though she was blushing. She adored her grandparents, almost as much as her parents. They'd been at her side, been her champions, for as long as she could remember.

Asgore was also holding a bouquet of flowers - golden flowers, from the garden at New New Home - which were her favourite, and she took them with a smile, burying her face into them. "Thank you," she said happily. "Come in, please!" she then added, almost forgetting her manners.

"Oh, dear," Toriel said the moment she saw her son with tender eyes. She went over to him and sat down beside him, giving him a hug, something he had needed very much, and he relaxed into it, tearing up again. Alphys gave Asriel a pat on his shoulder, then stood up, walked over to Basket, and hugged her tight.

"Uh, Mum," Basket blinked, blushing. "Why?"

"You're my daughter," Alphys replied. She looked at Undyne, who grinned and hugged both of them tight. Basket sighed, rolling her eyes, thought Nicky could easily tell she loved it.

"Howdy, Dr Alphys, Undyne, Basket!" Asgore greeted with a grin. "How are all of you?"

"Help," Basket answered.

"We're good!" Undyne replied, lifting both her wife and her daughter off of the ground a few feet to prove it. Frisk laughed, unable to help it, even as she moved to hug Asgore.

"Asriel," Toriel said softly to him, "are you alright?"

He hesitated before answering. "I'm worried, Mom. Don't say anything, but..." He lowered his voice. "I'm afraid for Nicky. I'm afraid we're missing something, and she could get hurt."

"Things have changed quite a bit, Asriel," Toriel said gently. "Especially for Nicky."

He nodded; it was true, after all, and logically he knew that. But it didn't stop his feelings all the same.

"Well," Toriel added, able to see his doubt, still. "Are you able to remember that things have changed, for today, for both Nicky and Frisk?"

Asriel blushed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He certainly felt he'd earned that. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

Toriel smiled and pulled him to his feet. Nicky was already at their side, and Asriel stared at her for a moment before hugging her tight. This was her father in a nutshell, Nicky thought: full of love, very sensitive, and almost angry at both. She knew it was his way, and was always generous with his hugs - something Nicky adored. When he let go, he was teary-eyed but smiling.

"I'm sorry," he said again, to her this time. "You're my baby girl. It's hard to adjust is all."

"Oh, Papi," Nicky whispered, tearing up a bit herself. "I'm still your girl. I always will be."

He hugged her again, and now they both sniffled. Nicky had inherited her father's penchant for easy tears. Or, to put it simply: she was also a crybaby.

"Let go-!" Basket pleaded, now being held up along with her mum and Frisk - both of whom were laughing to tears.

"Never!" Undyne replied - and then yelped. Asgore had not only hugged _her,_ but began to lift _all_ of them up off the ground with a loud laugh of triumph.

Toriel held a hand to her cheek, her eyes bright and a smile on her lips. "Gorey, you still have it," she observed breathlessly.

Asriel made gagging noises, which in turn had Nicky giggling. She was glad he was cheering up. She never liked seeing him sad - even when she was small.


	8. Chapter 8

**Six: Breaking Things That I Should Keep**

When Asriel walked onto the field wearing his work clothes, he was surprised by the reaction he got, not from the staff, but from the students. He was dealing with a particularly stubborn shrub, one Asgore had left just for him, as he didn't have the 'right kind of gentleness' needed for it - when suddenly he was surrounded by both humans and monsters.

"Uh," he blinked, freezing in mid-shovel, his eyes wide. His daughter was not among them like he expected, which was an even bigger surprised.

"You're back!" one of the humans cried, looking thrilled. Those around them also were grinning, some unable to hide their excitement.

"Uh," he repeated, blushing and hating it. He vaguely remembered Alphys telling him that some of the kids missed him (and had suspected Undyne of having to do with his disappearance), but he hadn't believed it. "So?"

Quite oddly, this brought cheers and applause, which in turn made him go scarlet. _"Stop that!"_ he snarled, holding up his shovel at them. With screams of delight and fake-fear, they scattered, but he noted that it was definitely gleeful. He realised, with a kind of pang, that he had missed that, too. The kids had loved to tease him, taking advantage of his short temper to do so without causing any real harm, and he in turn made his reactions a touch overblown.

He realised also that, perhaps like his father, he'd always adored kids, even before having his own, and had for a long time. With a smile, he turned back to the shrub and got back to work.

* * *

Frisk was having a different experience completely.

"So you see the problem, then, Ambassador?"

"No, she sees that _you're_ the problem, don't you, Ambassador?"

The Ambassador sighed, rubbing her eyes. She knew that if she spoke, it would only add to the problem, but at the same time, if she did not, they'd take it the wrong way, anyway.

This was a side of the job that most people either didn't see - or didn't care about: the daily annoying skirmishes between monsters, humans, and a mix of both.

This was between a human and a monster, one that she'd seen coming the moment the human had moved to the Underground. The area they'd chosen - MTT Towers and Hotel - wasn't exactly human-friendly, but the human had made a point to move there because of that, just asking for the trouble they were so clearly now in.

And the problem? The human liked to have parties - full of other humans - and their neighbours, represented by this monster, did not appreciate it one bit. One would think that this would be dealt with by the landlord, but ever since the place was converted into both a hotel and an apartment, that had become kind of a... grey area, to say the least.

Which meant it was up to Frisk.

"Okay," she said slowly. "So, I do have a solution, one that can only work if _both of you commit to it."_ She looked at both of them, who nodded somewhat reluctantly at that. "Okay. How about both of you have parties on the same nights?"

Both of them stared at her in surprise, then slowly looked to each other. For a moment, the length of silence was both amusing and annoying for Frisk, but to say anything risked a negative result, so she kept quiet and waited.

"Well," the monster said finally, slowly. "I... guess that could work."

"I could send you a monthly chart of when I'll have them," the human said, blinking in surprise when they said it. "So you can plan well ahead of time, like I do. That makes the best kind of party, you know."

"That would be helpful."

"Also, if we have it the same nights, we could exchange guests sometimes, spice it up a little."

"Huh, how interesting! I would have never thought of that, but what a great idea!"

Frisk smiled and left them to it, only rolling her eyes when she was out of sight. She hoped the afternoon would be more interesting after this.

Indeed.

* * *

At recess, Nicky ran outside with her new friends - a monster named Rayoss, and a human named Jilly - and proceeded to try and beat them at tag. She was quite good at it, and she kept getting better and better, years of puzzle-play helping her with strategy.

She'd forgotten all about the morning, instead focusing on her current activities. So when, quite suddenly, she found her uncle Sans at her side, she started in shock before giving him her usual hug. When she did, he grabbed her, held up his bony left hand, and his left eye burst into a flame like nothing she'd ever seen before. A blast of - something - Nicky had hidden her face into his parka by now - burst out from his palm and melted the would-be bullets aimed at Nicky in mid-air. When they had dropped and he held his hand out but still, no other shots came.

Nicky huddled closer into his parka, shivering. She hadn't heard any gunfire, but hearing Sans's magic was enough to frighten her. Sans had been careful; his shot had been contained and hit nothing but its intended target, but that also meant he'd had no hope of hiding the shooter or shooters. The bullets would have to do for now, and did, now molten gunk on the dirt below.

The whole schoolyard was silent and frozen - even the teachers - and all were staring at Sans in varying degrees of shock. He ignored them, his eye snuffing out and going normal, before he sighed, shut them, then opened them to their normal form. His grip on Nicky loosened, and she pulled free, her knees shaking, her eyes wide and her ears low. "U-uncle s-sans," she stammered, one hand holding onto his parka, still.

"go back inside and get your vest on, nicky," he advised shortly. She winced, and he realised his mistake. With another sigh, he smiled and said, in a softer tone, "go ahead, kiddo. i'll be here when you get back." She nodded, teary eye, before turning and running back towards the school.

sans stood up to his full height, waved to everyone, then shoved his hands in his pockets, still grinning but walking towards where the gunfire had been, trying to be as casual as possible. Soon, the playground returned to its normal volume, and sans relaxed a little - but only because the noise could mean a kind of cover.

He walked to a hidden copse of bush, and then he peered behind he, he predictably found no one but their weapons - two guns with silencers attached. Seeing these, he suspected that they'd come back, so, with a grin, he held up a hand and said one word:

"nope."

The guns imploded immediately, almost as melted as their bullets.

* * *

They met up after school was finished, and Toriel was enraged. "Bulletfire!" she snarled. "On _my_ school's grounds, at _my_ granddaughter! _I'll kill them!"_ Asgore grabbed her and pulled her back before she left the staff room.

Undyne sighed, her chin in her hand. "Well, now we have yet another problem."

"humans are after her, too," sans agreed.

"SO WHAT DO WE DO, BESIDES GUARD HER AT ALL TIMES?" Papyrus wondered. "DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE?"

"We get to the bottom of who is responsible and we cut them off," Asgore said calmly. "But I must admit, something puzzles me."

"WHAT?" Papyrus pressed.

"Why shoot on the school grounds, and risk harming other children, and not just Nicky?"

"Because they don't care anymore, Asgore," Undyne said flatly, her eye narrowed.

"Where are Asriel and Nicky?" Toriel suddenly asked, looking worried.

"They're in the garden shed together, Asriel showing her the tools of his trade," Asgore replied, somewhat proudly. Toriel relaxed.

"BUT _WHY_ DON'T THEY CARE ANYMORE?" Papyrus asked. "IT'S ODD THAT BOTH GROUPS DON'T CARE AT THE SAME TIME. DON'T YOU THINK?"

Shocked silence met his words. None of them had made that connection prior to now, but once it was made, it was so obvious that it was rather embarrassing.

"Could they actually be working together?" Toriel whispered, sounding horrified.

"How?" Undyne snapped. "Maybe they want the same thing, but wouldn't working together go against that very sentiment they share?!"

That was when she got a text message from Alphys, she checked was from her but didn't open it. If she had, things would have been very, very different. But as she did not, this is how it went.

And she would always regret it.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Asgore quipped sadly.

"Okay, but that still doesn't help us," sans said shortly. "is it carlson? who's the monster ringleader? who the hell's in charge, and how do we kill them?"

They understood the sentiment, but had no answers, regardless.

* * *

Nicky was in Asriel's arms, clinging tight, one hand clutching a wooden mallet like a soother. "I wanna go home, Papi," she admitted.

Asriel gave her a kiss, then nodded. "As soon as we get the all-clear from everyone, we can go right home, okay?"

He texted everyone and told them that with their okay, he and Nicky would be on their way. when he did get responses, he only accepted the ones from his parents, giving him the all-clear. With a smile, he picked up Nicky and went on his way - bullet-proof vests in place.

* * *

"Please," Alphys whispered, her hands raised and shaking and her eyes shut. "Please. I'm alone. Please. I'm a-alone."

The cold muzzle pressed closer to her chest and she stumbled back, feeling faint. She was held frozen at the door, Basket asleep in her room, and she was facing three humans at the doorway - one with a rifle to her chest.

 _"Liar,"_ the gunperson said. "Your daughter is here." Alphys's eyes opened and filled, shaking her head desperately, but another jab silenced her. "Text your wife and tell her to come home, and we'll spare you and your daughter."

Alphys nodded, one hand going to her pocket and pulling out her phone, before lowering her other hand to text Undyne hurriedly. She sent it, then held her hands up again and said, "Th-there, I did it. Pl-please, my d-daughter..."

One of the other humans grabbed her phone, and she scrambled to get it back - but another painful, sharp jab from the rifle pushed her back. "Knew it. Look." They showed the gunperson her desperate message.

 _"Go through the back and save Basket! Don't worry about me, save Basket! Hurry!"_

She shut her eyes, wincing, her hands shaking again.

"You think this is a _joke,_ doctor?" the gunperson snarled. "You think this is a _game?"_

"N-no," she answered. "I w-want it to be j-just a n-nightmare."

"You want to save your daughter above yourself, right?"

She nodded desperately, her eyes filling. "Yes."

"You know, then, that you're dead already, right? You're useless to us, now."

She swallowed, her eyes going hard. "Yes."

"Then we have a compromise: die quietly, and we'll leave your kid to your wife." The humans exchanged looks with each other, all nodding. "None of us want to kill a baby, monster or not."

"Th-thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes, her raised hands closing into fists.

"Ready?"

She opened her eyes. "Wait. w-why are you doing th-this to us?"

"Honestly? Why does it matter? You're gonna die anyway. Why would you want to know?"

"I'm dead anyway. Why does it matter if I know?"

The gunperson shrugged. "True. Fine. Why are we doing this to you?" They aimed the rifle right at Alphys's chest, right above her heart, so close she could feel it.

"Because you're monsters. And because we can."

Alphys shut her eyes.

The human fired.


	9. Chapter 9

**Seven: I Know That You're Hiding**

A flash of yellow burst out between Alphys's held up hands just as the barrel flashed, and she lowered it quickly to cover her chest as best as she could. It did intercept the birdshot above her heart - but barely. She still got hit in the chest, and she gasped, the pain like nothing she had ever felt before. She slammed back into the wall, the staff vanishing immediately, breathless for too long. She slid down the wall, then landed, hard, onto her side, choking. She reached up to try and staunch the flow, but she knew she was in trouble; her vision was blurring fast. She heard distant voices, and the moment she tried to blink into focus, she passed out.

When she came to, it was to agony, her breath harsh in her throat. She found it lucky she was waking up at all, and slowly, she rolled onto her front, gasping from the pain it brought her. She spat out a mouthful of blood, happy she didn't choke on it, and as her hearing slowly came back, she started crawling towards the one sound she heard the loudest: Basket screaming for her.

Panic flooded through her, and she dug her claws into the floor, dragging herself toward the screams while trying to remember to breathe. Her chest burned like the worst kind of burn, raw and throbbing, but she kept going, her teeth gritted against it. She had to reach Basket, had to protect her...

Her hand fell onto her phone, and she almost shoved it aside before she remembered she could use it. Pushing herself back onto her side with a groan, she pushed down on the screen slowly, making sure she pressed the right numbers, before she shut her eyes and listened, feeling already so tired...

"What's your emergency?"

"S-shot," Alphys gasped out. "I'm... shot... m-my d-daughter... m-my... d-d-daugh...t-ter..."

"Okay, ma'am, we have a trace on your phone and are sending emergency crews to your location. Ma'am, I need you to stay on the line until they get there." A pause. "Ma'am? _Ma'am?!"_

No answer. Alphys's eyes had closed, and she had fallen back onto her front, out cold.

* * *

It was on the way home that Undyne remembered to check her phone - unfortunately at the same time as she heard the sirens. Horror filled her as she read the message, then realised that those sirens weren't going away. She shoved past everyone and ran, as fast as she could, hoping the sirens would go past, would outpace her, or she would outpace them, anything but...

As soon as she got to the house, Undyne went right to the back like the text message said, hearing Basket's screams long before she opened the door. She ran to her daughter and pulled her close, then turned and went into the hallway, towards the front door-

-where she dropped to her knees, holding Basket close, her throat closing up.

Alphys was on her back, surrounded by paramedics and covered in blood. It was everywhere; on the floor, on her phone, even on the wall. As the paramedics worked, Alphys didn't respond or react, her face pale.

A paramedic then noticed Undyne and Basket and quickly went to Undyne's side, trying to usher her and Basket away. Undyne tried to ignore them, until they pulled her to her feet and then tried to pull her away. Then she screamed out and shrank away, holding Basket close and her free hand out and clawed. When they tried to get close to her, she fought them, shielding Basket with her body and screaming her wife's name.

Asgore and Toriel had finally caught up, and wordlessly they pushed past and helped with Undyne, Toriel pulling Basket into her arms gently and Asgore pulling Undyne into his. Undyne fought him, trying to get out of his grasp and back towards Alphys, her hand reaching back towards her even as Asgore pulled her into the backyard. She kept screaming and screaming, unable to stop - until she couldn't scream anymore.

* * *

Alphys survived the attack, thanks to both her quick thinking and her tough skin. The birdshot was bad, and did go deep and in myriad places, but they got all of it out before it could cause major damage, though it still did cause some. As a result of the extent of the injury, she was knocked out medically until she healed enough to be able to handle the pain from it. But she did survive.

Needless to say, this left Undyne a little unhinged. She refused to let Basket out of her sight, barely moving from Alphys's bedside, and never without Basket. She'd bring books and read them aloud, or sit there and sleep with Basket in her lap, or sometimes - when she was at her limit - she would either yell for Alphys to hurry up and heal, or beg her to, just so she could forgive Undyne for not being there.

Frisk felt terrible. If she'd been there, spent the day with Alphys instead of running errands, perhaps she could have changed something.

"Or, they would have _killed you,"_ Asriel answered angrily when she brought it up. "There are no 'should haves', Frisk. There are only 'what nows'."

It was a good point. Undyne was not coming back to the school while Alphys was in the hospital, which meant less protection for Nicky. And yet, that brought everyone to the crux of the matter to begin with: Why did they shoot Alphys at all?

* * *

But, they had to keep going. It was Undyne who said this, which surprised them, that night, before visiting hours ended at the hospital.

"It we stop now, if you give up now," she growled, her eye on Alphys as she slept, her arms around Basket as she played with Undyne's hair. "If you pull Nicky out of school, they win. And they _can't_ win." She looked up at Frisk and said, her voice hollow, _"They can't fucking win."_

* * *

So, the next day, Nicky went back to school. She was provided another escort, this time Papyrus taking Undyne's place, though they couldn't get as many of Darian's friends this time around. It seemed doable, still, as the crowd was considerably smaller; the news had gotten out about Alphys, and none of her neighbours were pleased. Many of them were there to show their support - and to glare at anyone not there for the same reason.

According to sans, there were only two incidents the entire trip, which was surprising - and disconcerting, in a way. Did that mean they were done, or merely planning something else? None of the prospects were very good, if one truly thought about it.

Nicky, however, was thrilled. She was not told about Alphys - just that her aunt was sick and needed rest for a little bit - so she could focus on school completely, which meant her new friends. She ran away from her parents as soon as she could, finding her friends and getting lost with them with screams of joy from all three.

Asriel pulled Frisk close, hugging her tight, and she returned it. They had the same thought: they were lucky to have such a wonderful family at their side, something made even clear when Toriel immediately chased after Nicky and her friends, shouting, "Walk, please, children!"

Papyrus's shoulders sagged a little. "I HATE CLASS WITHOUT UNDYNE. SHE MAKES IT FUN. AND FUNNY."

sans put a hand on his shoulder. "i'll supply for her today. how's that sound, bro?"

Papyrus lit up at once. "REALLY? YOU'D DO THAT FOR ME?"

"it's not like it's the dentist," sans snorted, before pushing him towards the gym. "let's go before we're late."

"And you, Frisk?" Asgore asked her. "What's on the agenda today for you?" His voice was gentle, though a little strained.

"City Hall," she said, her voice hard. "I've quite a few issues to bring up. Namely, why are kids being shot at and they do nothing?"

Asriel took her hand. "Want me to come along, back you up?"

She shook her head, surprising him. "No. Stay here and protect Nicky, okay? After yesterday..." She shuddered. "Please."

"We both will," Asgore agreed, his hand on his son's shoulder. Asriel stood up straighter, looking braver, and she smiled, feeling relief at seeing them so confident.

"Okay," said Frisk. "Time to rattle some cages."


	10. Chapter 10

**Eight: I Know There's A Part Of You That I Just Cannot Reach**

Frisk was the first person to walk into the City Hall meeting room. Most were surprised to see her, not expecting her for another few days, but then again, the circumstances were rather pressing, to say the least.

"I want to know what the city is doing to protect its peoples," she snapped out, not bothering with preamble or greetings. "I want to know why there have been two shootings and several magical attacks at my daughter's school in one day alone. And I want to know why my friend was shot full of birdshot yesterday."

Toole, one of Carlson's former friends but whom had seemed to relax a little with his absence, said, "We don't know any of the answers to any of that, Ambassador."

"How can you not know?" Frisk demanded. "How can you not know what goes on in your city, nor have any plan of action against what goes on within it?"

"Because nobody expected _this,"_ Crombie answered, her voice sharp. "No one expected Headmistress Toriel's school to be attacked. _Ever."_

"Despite the fact that I told you about the threats to my daughter _at least a year ago,"_ Frisk snarled. "I _told_ you! And now my friend is in the hospital and my daughter is in danger, has been _shot at!_ And I can't take her out of that danger without calling more of it _to_ her!"

Saito, at least, looked ashamed. Over the years, she had been one of Frisk's greatest champions. "You're correct, Ambassador," she said, earning her various glares and glowers from her fellows. "We didn't take it seriously enough."

"Saito, Dreemurr gets threats for _existing,"_ said Toole coldly.

Carlson's replacement, a man named Gill, merely said, _"Any_ threat should be taken seriously, regardless of its topic."

Frisk nodded to him gratefully. "Especially when towards children, don't you think? You must admit to some negligence here, council."

"And we do," the mayor said suddenly, surprising the others (save Saito). "Gross negligence, indeed." She glared at Toole and Crombie. "One that could have gotten many people killed. Why was I not notified?"

Crombie hesitated before she answered. "I wasn't sure whether to take them seriously or not, Madam Mayor."

"Well, that's ridiculous. You should know that they _all_ should be. You've failed me as a deputy in this, Crombie."

Crombie went scarlet but didn't protest. It was true, after all.

Finally, McCallion asked Frisk, staring right into her eyes, "What do you need?"

Frisk swallowed hard and told her.

* * *

"Undyne..."

Undyne looked up briefly, preoccupied with trying to give Basket a bottle of formula, who was _not_ amused by the prospect. It was Alphys's doctor, a monster named Dr Tollona, one they'd known for several years - since Alphys got pregnant.

"Yeah," Undyne answered shortly, looking back down at Basket and biting her lip. "Eat, please, Bass, _please,"_ she pleaded softly.

"Have you had a break since yesterday, Undyne?"

"No," she said shortly. "Don't need one. Please, my baby, _eat..."_

Finally, Basket latched onto the bottle and for once didn't let go, drinking greedily. Undyne shut her eye and held her close, unable to help the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Basket had been refusing to eat ever since they got there, and Undyne had started to become afraid for her.

The doctor placed a hand on Undyne's shoulder, but she jerked away. Dr Tollona blinked in surprise, but Undyne wasn't looking at her, but at Alphys, her tears still flowing. "She's eating," Undyne said to her, her voice small.

Alphys was still knocked out on medication, sleep being the only way to avoid both complications and pain, as well as to speed up the healing as best as possible. But Undyne always talked to her, anyway.

"Undyne," Dr Tollona said softly. "You need to go home to sleep."

 _"I_ sleep when _Bass_ sleeps," Undyne snapped. "The chair is fine."

There was a pause, before the doctor said, "What if I bring in a cot for you, and a bassinet for Basket? You can still sleep when she does, but both of you can do it more comfortably."

Undyne thought about it. She had the itchy, confused feeling of one sleep-deprived and uncomfortable from it, and the chair probably wasn't comfortable for Basket, either. "Yeah," she muttered. "Okay."

"She's going to be fine, Undyne," Dr Tollona reassured her gently.

"Then I want to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. Basket and me," Undyne answered shortly. "The moment she wakes up."

* * *

The morning at Toriel's school went by smoothly, though by lunch, everyone was tense, considering what happened before. However, like the morning, the lunch period and the recess prior was without incident. Nicky wore her vest, but needlessly, something she reminded her family every time she ran past one of them, either chasing or being chased by Rayoss or Jilly. She looked so happy, so carefree, that they decided not to tell her the full story about Alphys. At least not yet.

sans was quiet when they spoke about it over lunch, this time in the staff room (Shyren and Papyrus were on lunch duty outside). They went over it over and over again, until he finally sighed, loudly, and said, "they got her for interfering."

Everyone stared at him, now. "Interfering?" Asgore echoed, bemused.

sans nodded. "she's the one who stopped - and caught - the monster kids."

Asriel's eyes went wide, and Toriel covered her mouth. "Do you think _monsters_ shot her?" Toriel asked.

"nope. her neighbours said they saw humans leave her house," sans replied.

Asriel narrowed his eyes now. "Then why would they attack Alphys if it didn't even involve _them?"_

sans gave him a tired look. "you really do have petals for brains, don't you?"

Toriel raised a hand and stopped her son in mid-lunge. "So, then, they truly are working together, you think, sans?" she asked calmly.

"looks that way, doesn't it?" sans agreed, smiling at her.

"This makes no sense," Asgore admitted. "Why - and how - are they working together, and doesn't that defeat the purpose they claim to be fighting for?"

"that's the question," sans sighed.

"Well, let's go through it slowly," Toriel advised, sitting up straighter. "What benefits do they have by joining forces?"

"Bigger attack force," Asriel muttered darkly.

"Surprise and subterfuge," Asgore offered.

"confusion, coercion," sans supplied.

"And why would they use children for these means?" Toriel asked.

"they're passionate and naive," sans said easily. "therefore simple to manipulate."

"Not by their own fault, not really," Asgore protested. "They truly believe that what they do is the right decision, regardless of means."

"They can be complete idiots," Asriel added.

Toriel was nodding, though she did give Asriel a sharp look at his last comment. "So we need to find out, who's leading them, how, and why. Do we not?"

"Can we all agree that it's so obviously Carlson?" Asriel demanded tiredly.

"yep," sans agreed, as did Asgore with a nod.

Toriel, however, shook her head. "We can't be certain. He hates us and makes it no secret, yes. So why would any monster want to work for his cause?" She paused. "Oh. Because the goals are the same," she concluded, glancing at her husband.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Asgore repeated sadly in agreement.

"But is Carlson truly that friend? _That's_ what we need to find out before we do anything else." Toriel concluded, her voice hard. "Before anyone else gets hurt."

No one could argue with her on that.


	11. Chapter 11

Nine: You Don't Have To Let Me In

Undyne was true to her word, and was at her wife's side the moment she woke up. She was holding Alphys's hand between her own when it twitched and gripped tightly onto hers. She looked up and saw Alphys stirring; she was frowning, her free hand going to her chest, before her eyes slowly opened. They moved to Undyne, their colour glazed, and Undyne from that she knew that the doctor had been true to her word, too, and that Alphys wasn't in pain, thanks to the medicine.

"Hi," Undyne whispered to her. "Basket's here, sleeping." Alphys followed her hand, her eyes falling on the bassinet, before they closed for a moment, biting down on her lip and murmuring a small sound of relief.

"Alphy," Undyne murmured, leaning closer. Her eye filled, and she pressed her forehead to Alphys's. Alphys closed her eyes again, a small smile on her lips, now. "I'm so sorry, Alphy," Undyne blurted out, her voice choked.

"N-no," Alphys whispered, reaching up and placing a shaking hand on her cheek. "S-safe... both of y-you... s-safe... I'm h-happy..."

 _"Alphy..."_ Undyne pulled her close and sobbed, and Alphys held her close, careful of her injuries but still wanting to hold her wife as close as possible anyway. She couldn't help it, either: she cried, too, softly, relieved that Undyne and their daughter were safe.

When she could, Alphys said, "Th-they did it b-because they c-could."

Undyne pulled away slowly, holding Alphys by her shoulders. Alphys's eyes were a little dull, but her tone was serious. "What?" she asked her.

"That's what they told me, what they said. Th-they shot me to-to d-die. I asked w-why, and that's the reason th-they gave me."

"Because they could," Undyne echoed, her teeth clenched. "Because they _could?!"_ she snarled. "They attacked you, left you to die, terrified our daughter, because _they fucking could?!"_ she was sobbing by the end, from rage, now, and Alphys pulled her back, closing her eyes and stroking Undyne's hair gently.

"I-I think I've figured out why for r-real," Alphys said softly. Undyne nodded against her shoulder, struggling to stop her tears, so Alphys went on. "I-I got involved, Undyne. Wh-when I stopped th-those monsters at the school."

"Then they _are_ working together," Undyne murmured, her voice thick. "Dammit! I really, really didn't want it to be that!"

"Frisk, Undyne. She-she needs to know..." Alphys winced, and Undyne pulled away and pulled her cellphone out, hurriedly texting her the news in case she was in a meeting.

* * *

Frisk was actually on a break at this point, ruminating over what had gone down in the meeting, when she got Undyne's text: _"Alphys was shot because she stopped the monsters at the school and because she was an easy target. Human and monster lobbyists are working together. Tell them, Frisk! Tell them!"_

She felt cold all over at this news. It was good to confirm why it happened - in Alphys's case, anyway - but it still didn't explain why they - the monsters at the school and the humans who shot Alphys - were working together at all. There had to be some way to find out how, or why, but-

Her hand slapped to her forehead and she forgot everything, all of her plans, all of her demands of the council, all of it, in favour of this one thought that she knew had to be the answer. Of course she knew, and the humans' reasoning should have made it obvious - especially for Frisk. She immediately sent a text message, but not to Undyne.

 _"We need to meet, and now. No more hiding. Your problem is with me, and always has been. Well, now's your chance to deal with that problem face-to-face."_ She sent a time and place, then got to her feet, not even bothering to look at the reply - because she knew it would be accepted.

* * *

"Papi!"

Asriel only had this warning before Nicky attacked his legs, holding on tight despite the mud caked on his pants. He stumbled, then grinned and dropped his shovel to scoop her up into his arms. "Howdy!" he said cheerfully, hugging her close.

"Papi, Papi, have you met my friends?" Nicky wondered, squirming out of his arms and standing next to Jilly - a small, dark-haired and dark-eyed human with an easy, kind smile - and Rayoss - a raccoon-type monster with a mischievous smile. Asriel grinned at both of them and waved, and they shyly waved back.

"Are-are you _really_ Asriel... the scary plant-monster?" Jilly wondered, her eyes now wide on her small face.

Asriel side. "No, I'm just Asriel, my dad's helper. You know my dad, Asgore. I'm just a younger version."

"Papi, you are _not!"_ Nicky laughed, just as Rayoss was about to relax. "You're much more scary when you get mad!"

 _Ah,_ Asriel thought, swallowing a chuckle. _That_ was what this visit was about. He decided to play along. "Well, only when no one respects my rules," he said, lowering his voice. "Then, yeah, I get cranky... just a little."

Nicky giggled, but both Jilly and Rayoss exchanged a look, before Rayoss's nose twitched and he smiled. "Rules like what?" he asked.

"Staying off my grass," Asriel replied, before pausing, his eyes narrowing at them. "Wait a second..." He picked up his shovel and held it before him. _"You're on my grass!"_

"Uh-!" Jilly cried, but he was already starting towards them. In a flash, all three ran screaming away, Nicky the only one that sounded gleeful and not scared.

Asriel laughed, so hard he had to sit down. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to play the foil to Asgore's calm, blase self. He'd forgotten a great deal, really. And while he'd never trade his years at home with Nicky for anything, he was glad to be working again.

His phone buzzed, and he answered it right away, worried it was Undyne. Instead, it was Frisk, but no less worrying.

 _"Going to end this once and for all."_ She gave him an address and time. _"In case I fail. Protect Nicky while I'm gone. I love you. See you soon."_

He stared at the message, his eyes wide, before he took off running across the lawn, his eyes burning. He didn't trust this, and he wasn't going to let her do it alone.

But then, quite suddenly, Asriel stopped.

 _"Protect Nicky while I'm gone."_

He bared his teeth and tugged at his hair in frustration, then clenched his fists at his sides, the shovel dropping from his hand. He couldn't leave his daughter, not when so many things could easily go wrong, still. But if he didn't follow Frisk, if he didn't give her the support and the cover she needed...

One name popped into his head. With it in mind, he turned back to the school and ran, hoping it - and that name - would be enough to protest Frisk, while he protected their daughter.

* * *

sans's left eye twitched, and he held his hand up to it, wincing. He looked away from the expectant students waiting for him to either tell a joke or embarrass their teacher, but instead, he looked up at Papyrus and said, "have to go, bro."

Papyrus unfortunately knew that look, knew that it meant, and hesitantly nodded. "BE CAREFUL," he said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. sans nodded, then turned and actually ran out of the back door of the gym. When it was swung closed, then open again from the momentum, he was already gone.

* * *

It was a beautiful lake during this time of year, a nice place to meet for a pleasant conversation. Frisk stood at the boardwalk over the water, watching the ducks bob up and down for food below the surface.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she didn't turn around. Instead, all she said was, "Hello, Carlson."

There was a snort. Then, "Hello, monster."


	12. Chapter 12

**Ten: Just Know That I'm Still Here**

Frisk kept her back to Carlson, staring at the ducks playing in front of her. "So," she said, her voice as calm as she could make it. "It seems we have a problem."

"We've always had one," Carlson replied, sounding smug about it.

"Which worsened when you had to quit politics, huh?" Frisk shot back. "Wonder why that happened? Illness, you said?"

Silence met her words, but she still didn't look at him. Instead, she went on. "But you've been busy all the same, haven't you? With both sides of the same coin. And their children."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ambassador," Carlson replied predictably.

"Of course not," Frisk agreed. "Just like I don't know why you're no longer councillor. Right?"

Another pause, before he snapped, shortly, "Get to your point. What do you want?"

"What is it _you_ want?" she shot back.

"I should think it obvious, Ambassador," he replied. "It's the thing you hated me the most for, did you not?"

"You want monsters back Underground," she said plainly. "So why are you allying with them? And cut the charade already. I'm not bugged, and even if I were, it doesn't matter, anyway. You can check me if you're so nervous."

"No, thank you," he sneered. "But yes, let's cut the charade." He stepped closer, but she still didn't move or look at him. Duck butts were more interesting than him. "Some monsters want the same as I. I'm willing to see past their differences to make them useful. Odd that it's mostly children - I agree, there - but perhaps they know no other way."

"It has been almost seventeen years," Frisk admitted. "Plenty of time for babies to grow up confused about their place in the world."

"Or grow up without some kind of intelligence at all," he added meanly.

"Whatever," Frisk snapped. She still refused to look at him. "I want it to stop, Carlson. This decade-long vendetta you've had against me - or has it been longer? - your using and hurting other people because of that vendetta... it has to stop."

"Like before your _freak_ daughter ends up getting hurt? Is that who you mean?"

White-hot rage filled her, and before she could control herself, she turned to him - and found herself being held up at gunpoint. Fear replaced her anger, and she raised her hands, shaking her head.

"You see, Ambassador," Carlson smiled, holding the gun calmly to her. "I agree with you! This needs to end, and for good. I, too, am tired of seeing innocents hurt. So I plan on killing - and thus ending - the only non-innocent in my way. Wouldn't you agree that this is a good plan for peace?"

"No," she snarled. "This would only cause more people after you, an endless cycle of revenge."

"But _you,"_ Carlson replied calmly. "You did this. You brought them to the surface. You mutated our city. When you die, so will the entire basis for this disease of monsters on land." He waved the gun, and she froze. "This is the vaccination to your disease, Dreemurr."

 _"Put the gun down, Carlson."_

Darian Reden stood in the copse close by, his gun held right at Carlson, his eyes like steel. His paws on the trigger didn't waver, nor did his body. Despite being a teacher for several years now, it was clear that he was still a cop deep down.

 _"You,"_ Carlson snarled, his gun wavering just a bit, as if unsure of which target to have. "You _bastard!_ How _dare_ you show your face to me again! _You son of a bitch!"_

 _"Drop the gun!"_ Darian shouted again. "Or I'll shoot you, Carlson! You k _now_ I will!"

"Oh, I doubt that," Carlson laughed - and he fired. Frisk went down, bright pain in her chest, and she was instantly breathless, blacking out.

Darian fired a moment after, hitting Carlson in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his gun and shout out and and yowl in agony, blood gushing from the wound.

Darian ran forward and kicked Carlson's gun out of his range, then ran to Frisk, who was wheezing for breath, her hand to her chest, still flat on her back. Carefully he undid her shirt - and relaxed: she had worn her vest, and the bullet was caught quite nicely. She was reeling from he force of the hit, not the bullet, itself.

 _"Fuck,"_ she gasped out, her hands to her chest. Darian stared at her; even he knew that she never used language like that easily. "That _really hurt!"_ she concluded.

There was a flash, and suddenly a cage of bones imprisoned Carlson, who was already cowering with a hand to his shoulder, his face enraged. Sans slowly walked out from behind a tree, his left hand out and his eye ablaze.

"Give me a reason, Frisk," he hissed, his tone sinister. "Give me a reason not to devour his soul."

Frisk slowly sat up, then said, "Why would you _want_ to, Sans?" she demanded breathlessly. "Why would you want something like _his_ disgusting soul within you?"

Sans stared at her for a moment, before his arm lowered and his eyes became normal. "good point," he admitted, smiling again. "that would be quite nasty."

"Darian," Frisk looked at him. "How did you know to come here?"

He grinned. "Your hubby, Ambassador."

Frisk smiled, grateful. "Thank you so much," she admitted.

Darian looked away, his grin wavering a little. "Let's just say I owed you, and leave it at that, got it?"

Frisk was bemused, but she nodded. "Sure, Darian," she agreed. With his help, she got to her feet, her hand still at her chest. "What do we do with him now?"

Darian pulled out his phone and made a few calls to his buddies on the force, and soon they heard both ambulance and police sirens. sans refused to let Carlson free of his cage until he was certain that Carlson was harmless, and even then, he kept close, his eyes narrowed, looking for any excuse to trap him again.

Paramedics checked Frisk's bullet injury - it was going to be an ugly bruise, one that proved an intent to kill - but she was going to be fine with proper care and rest. The ambulance took Carlson away, but none of them really cared by that point.

sans did the oddest thing once the scene had somewhat calmed down. He went to Frisk's side and hugged her close, like he had when she'd been in the hospital before Nicky was born, a close and tender embrace. Frisk returned it, shaking a little from the shock of it all but relieved to have a close friend at her side.

"if anything had happened to you again, frisk," sans said, his voice so quiet it kept her mute in surprise. "if you'd been hurt, i'd of done it. i would have."

She shut her eyes, hugging him closer and finally finding the right words. "Then I'm glad I'm safe, sans. For both of our sake."

He didn't let go for some time - only when the police needed their statements. But even then, he stayed close to her, his eyes sharp and watchful. Clearly, even now, he wasn't going to take any chances.

For Frisk, it was very comforting.


	13. Chapter 13

**Epilogue: I'm Ready For You Whenever You Need**

Nicky had very little memory of those days. What she did remember was the first walk to school, meeting Rayoss and Jilly, and something about Alphys being ill at the time. She also remembered being thrilled about Carlson - an man she heard stories about for years - being put in jail for a very, very long time. (That was also the first time she'd ever seen Asriel drunk.)

If she had other memories from that day, good or bad, they were replaced by others, ones in which she became attached to her two bestest friends in the whole world (who were now dating), as well as trying to get through school at all.

Nicky was brave, but she hated confrontation, which made her seem weak. When she was cornered or made fun of by others, she always tried to talk her way out of it instead of tossing insults back. It was never easy, and she did end up often injured or hurt physically as well as emotionally, but despite this, her strategy never changed, and it seemed to work well enough for her to graduate.

The doorbell ringing startled Nicky from her reverie, and sans and Papyrus came in, sans holding dandelions and Papyrus holding balloons. She grinned and ran to her uncles, hugging them both. She adored them both for different reasons, but that adoration was immense, indeed.

"sup, kiddo," sans said, handing her the flowers. She took them with a grin, and Papyrus in reply shoved the balloons at her, which she also took with a grin. They both did this at times - compete for the better reaction from her. Apparently they had never done this with her mother, but for her they barely held back. As she grew up, their desire for reactions to only get more fervent. Maybe it was because she was calming with age, and was less prone to childlike reactions?

"NICKNAME!" Papyrus said happily. "WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GRADUATING! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!"

"not really," sans replied. "if anything, it took forever for nick to grow up." he winked at her. "i never thought you'd stop trying to find fairy rings."

Nicky went scarlet at that, and to her horror, Basket started laughing behind her, too. "Fairy rings?!" she echoed, her voice choked with laughter. She knew that she would never heard the end of it from her for a very, very long time.

"I hate you, sans," Nicky growled, but all he did was pat her shoulder and grin, then walk into the room. "love ya, too, nick," he replied.

After more greetings and hugs, they all got comfortable in the living room, something Nicky loved to watch happen, because the room itself wasn't so big, but there were still many to fit. She stayed standing as they all squished in. Her parents took the floor in front of the TV, while their parents sats down on one side of the couch. Undyne jumped down beside them, then pulled Alphys into her lap, who curled up into her arms immediately with a smile. Basket perched on the arm of the couch beside her mothers, her arms crossed but a smile on her lips. sans stood beside Frisk, while Papyrus sat down at the feet of Undyne and Alphys, holding a piece of paper and a pen. Nicky tried to find a spot to sit, but she didn't mind when she found none. She loved seeing her family together like this. (Mettaton, it should be mentioned, was already at the school and setting up myriad cameras and lighting sources, and would be meeting them there.)

"Nicky, quite hovering like Tsudereplane and come join us!" Frisk called, and she grinned, deciding to do so. She walked over and sat beside her father, who put his arm around her immediately. As her family spoke around her, about the past few years, and all that had happened, she just listened, her heart soaring.

She was so happy they'd made it so far.

When she met her mother's gaze, she could tell Frisk felt exactly the same way.

* * *

 _So while concluding this story, I suddenly wanted to continue it, but from Basket's perspective from when she joins Nicky at school. But then I realised, this is supposed to be Nicky's story. So, quite possibly, Basket will be getting a story. Not sure yet. But, uh, yeah. Possibly?_

 _There will also be two one-shots coming up soon, so I'm not totally finished :). Thanks again for being patient with me and reading! It means everything to me!_


End file.
